It could be the introduction to an episode of Star Trek. So, in that spirit, Captains log, Stardate 05-01-25, Commander Dave at the ship’s helm.
By way of a brief introduction (I’ve a feeling that diving deep into their back story could take all night) the duo EL/NeUe released a vinyl EP under the title ‘EL i 1987’, but then went on hiatus for a little matter of 32 years before returning with the album ‘KRANK’, which confirmed that their singular blend of modern electronica and cold wave hadn’t gone away.
In 2023 another album, ‘IMMER’, was released and was well received.
More recently they have made a few songs in collaboration with fellow Norwegian musician/comedian Beranek, including ‘Goethe ist tot’, which sounds like a laugh a minute. (As it happens they are also comedic writers themselves and have worked together for years, including in something called The Psycho Halvorsen Brothers). Keeping it all in the family.
I’m afraid I can’t discover anything about Ida By Johnson who “contributes a quietly endearing vocal” apart from an American lady by that name who is also tot.
I wasn’t quite sure what to expect from the duo apart from their advisory that they “paint a tasteful ambience, utilising synth, clarinet and sound effects.”
And hey, they do. The opening bars could be the Starship Enterprise warming up its engines, before the clarinet comes in, rather unexpectedly.
Thereafter, well I’m finding it hard to attach any sort of genre to this song. They reference themselves in their own PR to both Röyksopp and Rammstein, and while I ‘feel’ the former, I don’t the latter.
It has the formulaic pattern of Krautrock but as performed by Bowie, who co-wrote it with Brian Eno, with some trap beats thrown in for good measure.
Does that help?
The Röyksopp analogy scores particularly in the vocal, which is mysterious and distanced as if it is the product of another world (and Ida has a sweet voice by the way).
A new album is coming in 2025, and also a new song and a few select concerts with Beranek, including Kampen Bistro on the 28th March.
I hope it won’t be another 32 years after that one or we’ll all be tot.
EL/NeUe is Askild Hagen (vocal, synth, bass, clarinet) and Håkon Johnson (guitar, synth).
Find them on:
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/NeueEL
Photo: Arvid Sivertsen.
